Oilennium Ltd reported the appointment of five full-time graduate trainees. The announcement coincides with the launch of the company’s new Graduate Training Programme. The new employees were hired as a result of recruitment drive to attract dynamic recent graduates seeking to put their design, communication and IT skills to work on behalf of the company’s growing portfolio of customers in the international oil and gas and maritime industries.

Instructional Design Team Receives a Boost

During the past year, Oilennium was retained by a number of new clients requiring both modular and customised online learning programmes designed to meet their specific needs. “To ensure that our customers would continue to receive effective, world class eLearning programmes, we knew we would have to gear up by recruiting a fresh team of highly motivated, talented graduates to train as instructional designers, and to support our ever-expanding Learning Management System,” said Samantha O’Hara, General Manager of Oilennium.

To achieve this, throughout the autumn Oilennium carried out a targeted recruitment drive in cooperation with Norwich City College, complemented by a high profile media campaign.

Successful candidates’ initiative and creativity shine through

In an effort to hire only the most creative, resourceful candidates, every candidate’s skills were put to the test. Each one reviewed a piece of eLearning that was based on an actual Oilennium course. They were then required to re-write the script and use imagery supplied by Oilennium to further develop the section of the course. “The successful candidates stood out by exhibiting real initiative; for example, contributing their own research to the assignment. Some even developed new animations, which really hit the mark. That is exactly the kind of drive and innovative thinking we rely on to produce learning programmes that capture the imagination. It’s the reason we continue to attract new business, while others continue to struggle through the economic downturn,” said Kevin Keable, Managing Director of Oilennium.

The new recruits, who studied at colleges and universities in East Anglia and Kent, boast a vast array of skills and expertise. Training to become Instructional Designers are: Adam Rees, who has a background in subsea engineering and a Diploma in Information Technology from Lowestoft College; Jeffrey Gamby-Boulger, a keen photographer who hosts a website to display his work and holds a national certificate in ICT; Jake Hurt, who has experience in copywriting, and optimising search engines and online retailer marketing information, earned a BSc in Computer Science from the University of East Anglia; and Alex Moore, a writer for online blog “WhatCulture,” who recently completed an internship at the Cambridge Film Trust, and earned a BA in Media and Communications at Canterbury Christ Church University. Finally, Ryan Langston, who earned an Advanced Diploma in IT at City College Norwich, has joined the company to provide IT support for the expanding Learning Management System and to assist in redesigning the company’s website.

Graduate Training Programme: special skills in eLearning development

The group is the first to benefit from Oilennium’s new Graduate Training Programme, which trains employees in specific aspects of Oilennium’s specialist approach to developing eLearning courses. The Instructional Designer trainees are currently taking part in a three-month programme delivered by PJ Rushmere, Training Co-ordinator for Oilennium. By the end of the programme, they will have benefitted from courses in Oilennium Standards, technical development, scriptwriting, reviewing and proofreading, specialised publishing and Total Quality Management.

Upon successful completion of the programme, each Trainee Instructional Designer will be assigned to an experienced Instructional Designer to mentor as they begin developing eLearning courses.

Having boosted its employment by 25%, the move is a significant investment for Oilennium, which now employs 25. “With the added support of the graduates, the pace at which we progress projects will increase, and customer service will be further enhanced," said O’Hara. “Looking ahead, we hope to sponsor another campaign to recruit Graduate Trainees during Q2 and Q3 as our growth continues.”

Tags: Oilennium Ltd